The Master Game List

I keep my master game list in a Google sheet that you can view and download. I compile this list by searching various video game databases online. As of the last update of this page on 16 March 2025, these were my primary sources, in roughly this order of authority:
 
     
To appear on my master list with a "Y" in the "Playlist" column, which means that I intend to play it as part of this blog, the following things must be true:
    
  • The game appears in at least two of these databases with its "type" or "genre" listed as "role-playing game" or the appropriate similar designation used by the source or the game appears in one of these databases as an RPG, but I investigated and agreed.
  • The game was released for a personal computer, not solely for a console.
  • The game's original language uses a Latin alphabet, or it has an official translation in a Latin alphabet language. 
    
Even then, if I begin to investigate the game and find that it does not meet my definitions of an RPG, I have the option to write a shorter entry called a BRIEF and reject it. 
    
This being a blog and not a court of law, I have the option to make an exception to these rules in the name of fun. In particular, I occasionally check out a console-only title just to get a sense of what's happening in that world.
    
I do not take nominations for games that should appear on the list but do not. Enter the game in the appropriate databases, and I will pick it up on my next scan.
    
Notes on the fields in the database:
   
Number: This is the order in which I played the game. It can be linked to my ratings spreadsheet if you want data from both sheets. If a "B" appears in this column, it means that the game was only BRIEFed. If a "M" appears in the column, it means the game is missing (see my "Missing and Mysteries" page for more). Blanks I have not yet considered at all. I generally do not update the record until I have finished playing the game.
   
Status: Any of five values:
  • "Unplayed": I have not yet gotten to the game.
  • "Played - Finished": Games I have played, blogged about, and do not intend to return to.
  • "Played - Unfinished": Games that I have played and blogged about but did not complete and may return to.
  • "NP": Not playable. Some technical issue—often that the entire game is missing—prevents me from playing enough of it to give a proper review.
  • "Rejected": I rejected the game as an RPG. Such games should be accompanied by a BRIEF.
   
Game Name: If I have not yet played the game, this is the name as appears in the primary game database (see the "Source" field). If I have played the game, this is what I have determined to be the game's official name, including both title and subtitle. I make this determination by looking at the game's title screen, its box, and its manual and going with 2 out of 3 in case they render it differently. If they all render it differently, the title screen wins.
 
Year: The year the game was first released for its first platform, regardless of the version that I actually played.
 
Game AKA: Any other names by which the game is known, if they are sufficiently different from the actual title.
 
Release Date: The date the game was first released for its first platform, regardless of the version I actually played. This date is unknown for most of the games before the mid-1990s and is thus blank.
 
Platforms: An uncomfortable field that would be a separate table in a proper relational database. This lists all of the platforms for which the game was released, not counting releases that simply bundle emulator packages for modern systems. There is no particular order to this field, and sometimes the same platform is represented multiple ways (e.g., "Commodore 64" and "C64"). I'll try to clean it up eventually.
   
Country: The country of origin based on where the design team worked or the developer's main offices. This is often difficult to determine, so "Unknown" or a best guess frequently appears.
  
Developer: The company that developed the game. If it was written by an individual or small team with no imprint, "Independent" appears here.
   
Publisher: The company that published the game. If there is more than one publisher, I've probably selected the one with the North American release. Honestly, both the "Developer" and "Publisher" fields are mostly meant to distinguish the game from others of a similar name and not serve as an accurate source for analysis or research. 
   
Source: The name of the primary source (game database) that lists the game as an RPG.
 
Source 2: The name of the secondary source (game database) that lists the game as an RPG. If the primary source is the only one to list a game at all, the word "None" appears here. This is a relatively new field, and it is being slowly populated as I get to new games. If I played the game before adopting my "two source" policy, "NA" appears here.
    
Playlist: Given everything else, do I intend to play the game. Values:
  • "Y": Yes, the game meets the criteria outlined above.
  • "E": No, it doesn't meet my criteria, but I have made an exception and already played it.
  • "NI": No, but I may make an exception in the future.
  • "NV": No. I've checked that the game doesn't meet my criteria, and I have no plans to consider it even for an exception.
 
Why keep "NI" and "NV" on the list at all? First, so you'll know what happened to them. Second, sometimes it's useful to be able to use these games for data analysis. Third, my rules may change. However, to avoid overwhelming viewers with a lot of games I don't intend to play, the list is usually filtered by this field to show only "Y" and "E" games. You may turn the filter off on a personal copy.
   
Why: If the game has anything other than a "Y" in the "Playlist" column, why it doesn't have a "Y."
 
Everything after the "Why" field is temporary or experimental and should be ignored by readers.

I will be happy to take comments and emails pointing out errors on this list. However, to save us both a lot of time, it doesn't make sense to send me minor errors related to games that remain "Unplayed." When I actually play and write about the game, I verify and update all the other information. It's also not really worth your time to tell me that a game is not an RPG by my definitions. I'll figure that out when I go to investigate it. Until then, I'm not comfortable taking anyone else's word.
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